Andrew Cuomo must start now on Albany reforms

With Democrat Andrew Cuomo newly elected as New York's chief executive, and Republicans likely to regain control of the state Senate, where does New York go from here? To work - immediately.

Together with the Democratic-controlled Assembly, they all must start addressing the state's huge problems with new zeal. Voters, particularly those upstate, want jobs as well as relief from high taxes and excessive state spending. They shouldn't have to wait until Jan. 1, when the Legislature convenes and Cuomo is sworn in, to start seeing progress.

Wheels should start turning at the Nov. 15 special session called by Gov. David Paterson. The current state budget has a $315 million gap and next year's deficit has risen to at least $9 billion.

Cuomo, no doubt, has done preliminary work on a new state budget that he must propose to lawmakers in January. But that shouldn't stop him from urging Albany leaders to start making major budget cuts now.

Legislative leaders such as Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, who is notoriously passive aggressive, need to step up. The election returns clearly showed voters strongly support Cuomo's reform agenda, outlined in six policy books. And if powerful teachers and public employee unions, which are major reasons why the state is perpetually in the red, didn't get copies, Cuomo's people need to get them overnighted.

Another thing. In his final days as attorney general, Cuomo should find time to meet with Silver eyeball to eyeball and help him understand that the sheriff of Albany is moving to the Capitol. Silver must fully grasp that Cuomo not only will be bringing with him enormous clout gained from 1.8 million voters, but he has the backing of lawmakers who signed on to his reform agenda. Radical change can't be expected overnight. But it's imperative to remember that New Yorkers have waited long enough.